Author: ayres

LEED Certification: Is It Worth Obtaining?

The Westlawn Gardens project in Milwaukee was certified as the world’s highest-rated LEED Neighborhood Development at the time it was built. Ayres partnered with Torti Gallas Partners, which provided this photo. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) started about 25 years ago as an effort to build smarter, healthier, and more energy-efficient and sustainable… Read More »

Bike Boxes Boost Bicyclist Visibility, Safety

Bike boxes are relatively new on-pavement markings that provide a place in front of the vehicular stop line for bicyclists to queue up at a red light, giving them visibility and priority in moving through the intersection upon the light turning green. The boxes increase safety by getting bikes through the intersection before vehicular traffic… Read More »

Accessible Sidewalks Serve All Users

As simple as it seems, the design of good sidewalks requires a fair amount of technical consideration. Generally we think of sidewalks as a type of transportation infrastructure – a way to get where we’re going on foot – and we tend to overlook the regulations that keep our sidewalks safe and accessible for all… Read More »